Cross ridge and brace construction for freight cars



Feb. 7, 1939. w. J. MEYER ET AL 2,146,221

CROSS RIDGE AND BRACE CONS TRUGTION FOR FREIGHT CARS Filed Oct. 20, 1937 5 Sheets-Shqet l WITNESSES; I r INVENTORS:

TlndeL J Myer 13.

BY Thomas Wfiemaresi,

A TTORNEYS.

Feb. 7, 1939. w. J, MEYER ET AL 2346,221

CROSS RIDGE AND BRACE CONSTRUCTION FOR FREIGHT CARS Filed Oct. 20, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS:

- ITNESSE Wndel 1M2 a 13 I By Thomas W176 H2525 (Z Z/m ATTORNEYS.

Feb. 7, 1939. w. JIMEYER ET AL 2,146,221

v CROSS RIDGE AND BRACE CONSTRUCTION FOR FREIGHT CARS Filed Oct. 20, 1937 s Sheets-Sheet :s

INVENYTORS: Wndel JM'gger 18 BY T masW a rest,

WITNESSES ATTORNEYS.

Patented Feb. 7, 1939 UNITED STATES CROSS RIDGE AND BRACE CONSTRUCTION FOR FREIGHT CARS Wendel J. Meyer, Philadelphia, and Thomas W. Demarest, Haverford, Pa... assignors to The Pennsylvania Railroad Company, Philadelphia Pa., a corporation of Application October 20,

13 Claims.

This invention relates to cross ridge and brace construction for freight cars, particularly freight cars ofthe open hopper type such as are ordinarily used in the transportation of coal, gravel, sand and other granular or comminuted materials.

One object of our invention is to make it possi-- ble to efiectively support and brace the side Walls of a car of the kind referred to interiorly with imposition of a minimum of obstruction to the ready introduction and withdrawal of a crane operated clam bucket in loading or unloading the car and to the free horizontal flow and distribution of the materials which are to be carried, throughout the length and breadth of the car.

Another object of our invention is to secure the above advantages with a simple cross ridge construction with side wall buttressing braces so arranged that the stresses are communicated directly to the cross bearer or bearers of the car, and secured to said cross bearer or bearers in such manner as to be easily removable and replaceable when necessary by reason of being damaged or corroded.

Other objects and attendant advantages will appear from the following detailed description of ie attached drawings; wherein Fig. I is a fragmentary view in transverse section of an open top hopper car embodying our improved cross ridge and brace construction, the section being taken as indicated by the arrows 1-1 in Fig. II.

Fig. II is a fragmentary detail plan section view taken as indicated by the arrows II-II in Fig. I.

Fig. 111 is a fragmentary view of the car in longitudinal section taken as indicated by the arrows IIIIII in Fig. I.

Figs. IV and'V are fragmentary detail sections taken as indicated respectively by the arrows.

1V--IV and V-V in Figs. I and IV. Figs. VI and VII are views like Figs. I and II showing a modified embodiment of our invention. With reference first more particularly to Figs.

I-V of these illustrations, the center sill of the car is comprehensively designated by the numeral I, and shown as being formed by two opposinglyg" arranged Z-bars 2, 2; while one of the side sills is indicated at 3 and one of the side wall sheetsupporting stakes at 4. Jointly with others (not shown) arranged at intervals along the length of the car, the stake 4 supports the side sheet 5 and is connected with the others at its upper end by a top rail 6-al1 after more or less usual practice in the art. It is, of course to be understood that Pennsylvania I 1937, Serial No. 169,980

the same construction obtains at the other side of the car.

The cross ridge construction with which the present invention is more especially concerned comprises a cross bearer I which extends transversely of the center sill I, and to the ends of which the side sills 3 are secured. As shown the cross bearer I is of composite or built up formation, with complemental vertical web side components 8 which are flanged at their inner ends 7 as at 9 and respectively secured by said flanges to the Z-bars 2 of the center sill I, and with a top or compression chord in the form of a flanged member I I] which is attached to the upper edges I of said side components and which bridges the center sill I. The web components 8 of the cross bearer are provided at their outer ends with flanges II for convenience of attaching the corresponding side sills 3, and at their lower edges with flanges I2 for attachment of a bottom tension chord plate I3 which extends beneath the bottom flanges of the center sill bars 2, from one side sill 3 to the other. For the sake of added strength and rigidity, upper and lower filler pieces I5 and I6 (Fig. I) are preferably employed to unite the cross bearer I to the sill I. The upper filler piece I5 is in the form of an angle bracket with its vertical flange riveted to the flange member III in the interval between the inner sides of the web components 8 of the cross bearer I and its horizontal flanges riveted to the top flanges of the center sill bars 2. 1 The lower filler piece IS, on the other'hand, is riveted to the plate I3 and actsas a spacer between the bars 2 at the bottom of the center sill' I, it being provided with upstanding end flanges I! which are riveted to the vertical websof said center sill bars 2. As shown, the plate I3 is also riveted directly to the bottom flanges of the center sill bars 2, Preferably also, angle plates I8 (Figs. I, IV and V) are employed to strengthen the connections between the outer ends of "the cross bearer web components 8 and the side sills 3.

I A centrally-peaked ridge sheet shown at I9 and forming a portion of the bottom of the car between the openings for the doors whereof one is shown at 30 in Fig. IV, arches the juncture be tween the center sill I and the cross bearer I and rests throughout its width directly upon the top flange member or compression chord I of said cross bearer. In the illustrated instance, theside edges of the ridge sheet I9. are turnedup as at 2| in Figs. I and III and riveted fast to the Side wall sheets 5,0f the car. However, if. desired or, found convenient in practice, the side "edge of the ridge sheet i9 may be butt-welded directly to the side sheets 5. From Fig. II it will be observed that, immediately beyond the opposite sides of the cross bearer I, the ridge sheet I9 is cut away as at 22, 22 to clear the center sill I, the gaps thus formed being bridged by upwardly rounded longitudinal hood sheaths 23.

For the purpose of buttressing the side walls 5 of the car at the stakes 4, we have provided brace means including a pair of complementarily-inclined bars 25, which, at their lower ends, are secured to a connection plate 26 extending up through the ridge sheet from the cross bearer. As shown, the connection plate 26 lies crosswise of the center sill l and is secured along its bottom edge to the cross bearer web components 8 and to the compression chord 10, as well as to the upper filler piece l5. At their upper ends, the brace bars 25 are secured, with interposition of angle brackets 21 to the side wall stakes 4. Welding is resorted to, as conventionally indicated by 28, to seal up the slit opening where the connection plate 26 passes through the ridge sheet l8.

As a result of the construction just described, it will be apparent that when necessary due to being damaged or badly corroded, the brace bars 25 can be easily and quickly removed and replaced at relatively small expense without entailing disassembling any parts of the cross bearer.

As an alternative, the brace bars 25 may be formed as a unit, with an integral juncture bebetween them at the region of their convergence, instead of separately as above described.

In the modified form of our invention illustrated in Figs. VI and VII, the side wall buttressing means consists simply of a pair of brace bars 25a, which extend downward through the ridge sheet l9 and are directly secured at their bottom ends to the respective web components 8, 8 of the cross bearer 1. Otherwise the construction in Figs. VI and VII is exactly like that of the first described embodiment. Accordingly, in order to preclude repetitive description, all corresponding parts have been identified with the same reference numerals previously employed.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that we have provided a simple cross ridge and brace construction for open freight cars, which is light though sturdy, and in which the cross bearer is wholly below and directly supports the ridge sheet l9 which forms a part of the bottom of the car. As a consequence, in the form of our invention shown in Figs. I-V, the interior of the car is clear of obstruction, except for the narrow anchorage plate and the narrow brace bars 25, so that maximum clearances are provided for ready manipulation of a clam bucket in loading or unloading, as well as for free horizontal fiow of the granular or comminuted material which is to be carried, both longitudinally and laterally of the car. In the form of our invention shown in Figs. VI-VII, such fiow of material is even less restricted due to the absence of the connection plate used in the bracing means of the first embodiment.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. Cross ridge and brace construction for hopper cars and the like, comprising a cross bearer which extends from side to side of the car; a continuous ridge sheet overlying the cross bearer; and side wall brace means extending through an opening in'the ridge sheet and connected to the cross bearer.

2. Cross ridge and brace construction for hopper cars and the like according to claim 1, wherein the ridge sheet has a rounded peak where it overlies the cross bearer.

3. Cross ridge and brace construction for hopper cars and the like, comprising a cross bearer which extends from side to side of the car; a continuous ridge sheet with a rounded peak overlying the cross bearer; a connection plate secured to the cross bearer and extending through an opening in the ridge sheet; and side wall braces secured to the connection plate.

4. Cross ridge and brace construction for hopper cars and the like, according to claim 3, wherein the connection plate extends up through the ridge sheet, and wherein the side wall braces are secured to the connection plate above the ridge sheet.

5. Cross ridge and brace construction for hopper cars and the like, comprising a cross bearer which extends from side to side of the car, with a vertical web and top and bottom flanges; a continuous ridge sheet with a rounded peak overlying the cross bearer; a connection plate directly attached to the cross bearer and extending up through an opening in the ridge sheet; and side wall braces secured to the connection plate above the ridge sheet.

6. Cross ridge and brace construction for hopper cars and the like with a center sill, comprising a cross bearer with a vertical web and top and bottom flanges extending from one side to the other of the car; a continuous ridge sheet with a rounded peak overlying the cross bearer and connected to the top flange of the latter; a connection plate secured to the center sill and the cross bearer and extending up through an opening in the ridge sheet; and side wall braces secured to the connection plate above the ridge sheet.

7. Cross ridge and brace construction for a hopper car or the like with a center sill and side sills, comprising a cross bearer which extends transversely of the center sill and to the ends of which the side sills are secured, a continuous ridge sheet overlying the center sill and having ,7

a rounded peak over the cross bearer, and transverse side wall brace means extending down through an opening in the ridge sheet for attachment to the cross bearer in the region of the center sill embodying complementarily-inclined upwardly and outwardly-reaching brace bars, which, at their upper ends are secured to the corresponding side walls at a level above that of said cross bearer.

8. Cross ridge and brace construction for a hopper car or the like with a center sill and side sills, comprising a cross bearer which extends transversely of the center sill and to the ends of which the side sills are secured, a continuous ridge sheet overlying the center sill and having a rounded peak over the cross bearer, and transverse brace means including a pair of complementarily-inclined brace bars respectively secured at their upper ends to corresponding side wall stakes, and a connection plate to which said brace bars are secured at their lower ends, said connection plate extending down through an opening in the ridge sheet crosswise of the center sill and being secured to the cross bearer.

9. Cross ridge and brace construction for a hopper car or the like, according to claim 6, wherein the cross bearer is of composite construction with complemental vertical web side components secured at their inner ends to opposite sides of the center sill, and with a ridge sheet supporting flange bar secured along the upper edges of said side components and bridging said center sill.

10. Cross ridge and brace construction for a hopper car or the like according to claim 8, wherein the crossbearer is of composite construction with complemental vertical web side components secured at their inner ends to the opposite sides of the center sill, and a ridge sheet supporting flange member secured along the upper edges of said side components and bridging over said center sill.

11. Cross ridge and brace construction for a hopper car or the like according to claim 8, wherein the cross bearer is of composite construction with complemental vertical web side components secured at their inner ends to the opposite side of the center sill, a compression chord member secured along the upper 'edges of said side components and bridging said center sill, and a tie plate constituting a tension chord which extends beneath the center sill from one side sill to the other and which is secured to said center and side sills as well as to the bottom edges of the side components 01' the cross bearen' 12.Cross-ridge and brace construction for a hopper car'or the like with a center sill, side sills and side wall sheet-supporting stakes upstanding from the side sills, comprising a cross bearer which extends transversely of the center sill and to the ends of which the side sills are secured, a continuous ridge sheet overlying the.

center sill and the cross bearer, and side wall brace means including a pair of complementarily-inclined brace bars whereof the upperends are secured to corresponding side wall stakes and which extend down through openings in the ridge sheet for attachment of their lower ends to the cross bearer adjacent the center sill.

13. Cross ridge and brace construction for hopper cars and the like according to claim 1, wherein the opening through which the brace means passes is sealed by welding.

. WENDEL J. MEYER.

THOMAS W. DEMAREST. 

